Guest Post: HDMI Cables

You probably realize that your new TV connects to your new Bluray player with an HDMI cable. But do you know what that means? Some of you can probably ramble off the importance of the quality that you get when using HDMI, and the rest of you are probably saying “Huh?” The below guest post gives a little insight into HDMI cables, and what those acronyms mean. 🙂

Technology has progressed such that consumers can have their very own high-definition home theater. For this type of equipment, the most commonly used connection for both audio and video is that of HDMI. You can find them on new HDTVs, DVRs, DVD players, game consoles and even computers.

The term HDMI is an acronym for High-Definition Multimedia Interface. It’s been around longer than most people think. It made its introduction in 2003. HDMI is able to transmit both high-definition video and high resolution audio by using only one cable. This is a marked difference when compared to analog cables which required numerous cables to do the job which the single HDMI cable does. Additionally, using three main colored cables, analog cable divides the picture signal down. These signals must be converted into analog before moving through the cable. Then once the signal has traveled to the receiving end, it must again be converted back. With so many conversions and changes, it’s very easy for the signal quality to decline as well as the quality of the output with analog cables. HDMI cable makes it possible to make cable use not only easier but also to provide a high quality home theater.

HDMI cables also provide many other benefits. HDMI cables are the only connector capable to transmitting 3D video signals from some components like a Blu-Ray 3D player to your 3D TV.

The most common use of HDMI cables is to connect a high definition device to an HDTV. The technology has improved such that it is quite simple to attach the cables. All you need to do is insert one end of the HDMI cable into the HDMI input slot located on the HDTV. Then the other end of the HDMI cable is put into the other device’s HDMI output slot. This is much easier than the old analog cables which required many different hook-ups.

Kris McDonald is Chicago mom to 2 sets of twins, photography nut, gadget addict, travel addict, and tech blogger who has worked in IT for over 16 years. Kris figured out a while ago that she was destined to be really busy (hence the 2 sets of twins), and she has found peace with that. Read More